IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT LEAD IN YOUR DRINKING WATER

______[Insert name of your water system] found elevated levels of lead in drinking water in some homes/buildings. Lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Please read this information closely to see what you can do to reduce lead in your drinking water.

Public
Education
on Lead
in
Drinking
Water
(Water system to fill in the blanks below)
Water System Name:
______
Water System Number:
______
System Contact Info:
Name:
______
Phone: ______
Monitoring Period with Lead Exceedance:
______
Date Notice Distributed:
______
Distribution Method:
______

Health Effects of Lead: Lead can cause serious health problems if too much enters your body from drinking water or other sources. It can cause damage to the brain and kidneys, and can interfere with the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen to all parts of your body. The greatest risk of lead exposure is to infants, young children, and pregnant women. Scientists have linked the effects of lead on the brain with lowered IQ in children. Adults with kidney problems and high blood pressure can be affected by low levels of lead more than healthy adults. Lead is stored in the bones, and it can be released later in life. During pregnancy, the child receives lead from the mother’s bones, which may affect brain development.

Sources of Lead: Lead is a common metal found in the environment. The main sources of lead exposure are lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust or soil, and some plumbing materials. In addition, lead can be found in certain types of pottery, pewter, brass fixtures, food, and cosmetics. Other sources include exposure in the work place and exposure from certain hobbies (lead can be carried on clothing or shoes). Drinking water is also a possible source of lead exposure. Most sources of drinking water have no lead or very low levels of lead. Most lead gets into drinking water after the water leaves the local well or treatment plant and comes into contact with household plumbing materials containing lead. These include lead pipes, and lead solder (commonly used until 1986), as well as faucets, valves, and other components made of brass. Brass faucets, fittings, and valves, including those advertised as “lead-free,” may contribute lead to drinking water. EPA estimates that 10 to 20 percent of a person’s potential exposure to lead may come from drinking water. Infants who consume mostly formula mixed with lead-containing water can receive 40 to 60 percent of their exposure to lead from drinking water.

Steps You Can Take to Reduce Your Exposure to Lead in Your Drinking Water:

Steps / Reason
Run your water to flush out lead. / If water hasn’t been used for several hours, run water for at least 15-30 seconds or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature before using it for drinking or cooking. Note: You may want to capture the initial running water for uses other than drinking or cooking, such as for watering the plants.
Regularly clean faucet aerators / Remove particulate matter that may contain lead.
Use cold water for cooking and preparing baby formula. / Lead dissolves more easily into hot water.
Do not boil water to remove lead. / Boiling water will not reduce lead.
Look for alternative sources or treatment of water. / You may want to consider purchasing bottled water or a water filter. Be sure the filter is approved to reduce lead or contact NSF International at
1-800-NSF-8010 or www.nsf.org for performance standards for water filters.
Test your water for lead. / Call us at [______[phone #] to find out how to get your water tested for lead, if any fees apply, and the location of labs that perform private testing.
Get your child tested. / Contact your local health department or healthcare provider to find out how you can get your child tested for lead if you are concerned about exposure.
Identify if your plumbing fixtures contain lead
(replace, if necessary). / Brass faucets, fittings, and valves, including those advertised as “lead-free,” may contribute lead to drinking water. The law currently allows end-use fixtures, such as faucets, with wetted surfaces containing a maximum weighted average of 0.25% lead to be labeled as “lead-free.” Note: Prior to January 4, 2014, fixtures could contain up to 8% lead and be labeled as “lead free.” Visit the NSF Web site at www.nsf.org to learn more about lead-containing plumbing fixtures.

What happened? What is being done? [Insert information about how and when the exceedance was discovered in your community and provide information on the source(s) of lead, in the drinking water, if known. Explain why there are elevated levels of lead in your system’s drinking water (if known) and describe what your system is doing to reduce the lead levels in homes/buildings in your community.]

For Official PWS Section
USE ONLY
LC ______
Initials SDWIS Date
PN ______
Initials SDWIS Date

For More Information call us at ______[phone #] [(If applicable), or visit our Web site at [insert Web site here]. For more information on reducing lead exposure around your home/building and the health effects of lead, visit EPA’s Web site at http://www.epa.gov/lead or contact your health care provider.

Instructions for Completing Public Education on Lead in Drinking Water

A public water system must conduct a Public Education program on lead in drinking water if, during a monitoring period, more than 10 percent of the tap

water samples collected in accordance with 15A NCAC 18C .1507 (141.86) exceed the action level of 0.015 mg/L [or 15 parts per billion (ppb)]. Therefore, if your system’s 90th percentile lead level is greater than 0.015 mg/L, you must deliver Public Education (PE) to all customers. Once the missing information on the standard template on the reverse side of this page is completed, the template can be used for distribution to your customers as it already contains the required PE language and content. If you choose to use a form of PE other than this standard template, you must submit it to the State for approval prior to delivery to your consumers. Multi-lingual notifications must be provided if 30% of the residents served are non-English speaking.

Community Water Systems - Required PUBLIC EDUCATION (PE) TASKS [141.85(b)]
For as long as the lead action level is exceeded, community water systems must complete the PE tasks specified below within 60 days after the end of the monitoring period in which the exceedance occurred and repeat the tasks every 12 months. The mandatory PE information must be included on or in each water bill, each billing cycle.
Small Water Systems ( 3,300 customers) / Large Water Systems ( 3,300 customers)
Deliver printed materials (pamphlets, brochures, posters) to all bill paying customers
Deliver public education materials to the following facilities and organizations that are served by the system that are most likely to be visited regularly by pregnant women and children:
1. Local public health agencies *
2. Public and private schools or school boards
3. Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and Head Start programs
4. Public and private hospitals and medical clinics
5. Pediatricians
6. Family planning clinics
7. Local welfare agencies
Make a good faith effort to locate the following organizations within the service area and deliver materials that meet the content requirements, along with an informational notice that encourages distribution to all potentially affected customers or users. The good faith effort to contact at-risk customers may include requesting a specific contact list of the organizations from the local public health agencies, even if the agencies are not located within the water system service area:
1. Licensed childcare centers
2. Public and private preschools
3. Obstetricians-Gynecologists and Midwives
Provide information on or in each water bill** (no less than quarterly or State can approve a separate mailing) (see mandatory language in footnote)
Submit a press release to newspaper, television, and radio stations twice every 12 months on a schedule agreed upon with the State (Note: The State may waive this requirements for small systems as long as the system distributes notices to every household served by the system.)
Implement one (1) additional PE activity*** (see footnote) / Deliver printed materials (pamphlets, brochures, posters) to all bill paying customers
Deliver public education materials to the following organizations that are located within your service area, along with a cover letter encouraging distribution to all potentially affected customers or users:
1. Local public health agencies *
2. Public and private schools or school boards
3. Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and Head Start programs
4. Public and private hospitals and medical clinics
5. Pediatricians
6. Family planning clinics
7. Local welfare agencies
Make a good faith effort to locate the following organizations within the service area and deliver materials that meet the content requirements, along with an informational notice that encourages distribution to all potentially affected customers or users. The good faith effort to contact at-risk customers may include requesting a specific contact list of the organizations from the local Public Health Agencies, even if the agencies are not located within the water system service area:
1. Licensed childcare centers
2. Public and private pre-schools
3. Obstetricians-Gynecologists and Midwives
Provide information on or in each water bill ** (no less than quarterly or State can approve a separate mailing) (see mandatory language in footnote)
Submit a press release to newspaper, television, and radio stations twice every 12 months on a schedule agreed upon with the State
Implement three (3) additional PE activities*** (see footnote)
Post material on the water system’s Web site (for systems serving
100,000 individuals)
*Systems are required to contact local public health agencies directly by phone or in person, even if the agencies are not located within the water system service area. See the following Web site for county health department contact information: http://www.deh.enr.state.nc.us/ehs/images/ehssdir2000.pdf.
** Mandatory language for water bill: “[Insert Name of Water System] found high levels of lead in drinking water in some homes. Lead can cause serious health problems. For more information please call [Insert Name of Water System] [or visit (Insert your Web site here.)]”
*** Additional PE activities (choose from the following): public service announcements, paid advertisements, public area informational displays, e-mails to customers, public meetings, household deliveries, targeted individual customer contact, direct material distribution to all multi-family homes and institutions, other methods approved by the State. The educational content and selection of these activities must be determined in consultation with the State.
NoN-TRANSIENT NON-Community (NTNC) Water Systems - Required PE TASKS [141.85(b)]
NTNC water systems must complete the PE tasks specified below within 60 days after the end of the monitoring period in which the exceedance occurred and repeat the tasks at least once during each calendar year in which the system exceeds the lead action level.
Post informational posters on lead in drinking water in a public place or common area in each of the buildings served by the system. / Distribute informational pamphlets and/or brochures on lead in drinking water to each person served by the NTNC water system.
PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAM REPORTING REQUIREMENTS [141.90(f)]
Community and NTNC water systems must send the following written documentation to the State within ten (10) days after the end of each period in which the system is required to perform public education (i.e. 70 days after the end of the monitoring period in which the exceedance occurred)
A demonstration that the system has delivered the PE materials that meet the content and delivery requirements in 141.85 (a) and (b) respectively. / A list of all the newspapers, radio stations, television stations, and facilities and organizations to which the system delivered PE materials during the period in which the system was required to perform the PE tasks.
MAIL TO: Public Water Supply Section, ATTN: Lead and Copper Rule Manager, 1634 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1634

07/2016